Matt Baun, Arcata FWO

TULELAKE, Calif. The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is inviting the public to help celebrate its 100th year of conserving and managing habitat for ducks, geese and other wildlife in the Klamath Basin. Today the refuge, the nation's first dedicated specifically for waterfowl conservation, announced a series of special events that will commemorate the anniversary and connect people to the beauty, birds and wildlife of the Basin.

The Lower Klamath refuge was established on August 8, 1908, by President Theodore Roosevelt as the nation's first wildlife refuge set aside specifically for migratory waterfowl and other marsh birds.  The refuge encompasses nearly 51,000 acres and is a varied mix of shallow freshwater marshes, open water, grassy uplands, and croplands that are intensively managed to provide feeding, resting, nesting, and brood rearing habitat for waterfowl and other water birds.  The refuge is one of three refuges in southern Oregon and three in northern California that are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the 190,000-acre Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

"We want to invite the public to come out and help us celebrate our first 100 years by experiencing the beauty of the Lower Klamath Refuge first hand during all seasons," said Ron Cole, manager of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges.  "Lower Klamath Refuge is a true national treasure and we have scheduled events throughout the year that will highlight everything we have to offer."

The year-long centennial celebration began with a Winter Refuge Raptor Rally January 26, which introduced visitors to raptor identification, habits and habitats.    The Klamath Basin is home to the largest gathering of wintering bald eagles in the continental United States. 
 

The refuge has posted its schedule of events on the Internet at: www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges.   Questions about the events can be directed to Dave Menke at (530) 667-2231 or dave_menke@fws.gov. Future updates to the monthly schedule of events will also be posted on the website.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American Tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State fish and wildlife agencies. More information about refuges in California is available at http://www.fws.gov/cno.